St. Thomas Community Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center, (FQHC), is among the largest and most comprehensive Primary Care Facilities serving both insured and uninsured patients in the New Orleans area. St. Thomas CHC has five full time physicians and nurse practitioners. Hours of operation are from 7 am to 5 pm on weekdays and 8 am to 3 pm on Saturdays. The clinic offers a full range of prevention and primary care services, with many consultative specialty services also available. The clinic offers same day appointments to established patients whenever possible. The clinic also strives to accept as many new patients each week as possible. Because the clinic works to offer same day access to as many of our patients as possible, walk in new patients are not able to be accommodated. In addition to the primary care services of Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics, St Thomas also offers Obstetrical care through collaboration with Ochsner Clinic Foundation.
St. Thomas CHC is also part of the CDC-supported Louisiana Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection program which offers both screening and diagnostic mammography, colposcopy and surgical consultations. Mammography with breast exam is offered Monday through Saturday on a walk in basis. For women age 40-65 there is no charge for this service. Arranging follow-up treatment for uninsured women with breast cancer is another of our major activities. The Clinic is supported in this care by grants from the CDC and from such supportive foundations as the Komen Foundation, the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation, and others.
Optometry is offered on a daily basis through a partnership with the Eye Ear Nose and Throat Foundation. The clinic provides treatment of eye disease such as glaucoma and diabetes, and provides eye glasses at minimal charge to the patient.
Medical Specialty consultations in offered on-site in Rheumatology, Nephrology, asthma, and Cardiology, in addition to on-site cardiology consultations and non-invasive testing, St Thomas patients are able to receive interventional procedures such as cardiac catheterization, angioplasty, and stenting through a collaboration with Ochsner Clinic Foundation.
Allergy testing and asthma management programs are offered.
All specialty services offered by St Thomas CHC are made available to patients of the other “safety net†providers in the community (i.e. those facilities who see patients regardless of their ability to pay).
Begun in 1987, St. Thomas CHC has been an independent, non- profit clinic. In addition to being recognized as a Federally Qualified Health Center, St. Thomas CHC was also recognized by the National Council for Quality Assurance as a Level 3 Certified Patient Centered-Medical Home.